System for handling and distributing spools for an automatic coning machine

Abstract

A conveyor system for an automatic coning machine having coning units for unwinding thread from spools carried by disks. The system has a feeding conveyor for transporting the spools on carrying disks to the coning machine and a removal conveyor for transporting exhausted spool carrying disks from the coning machine. Passages traverse adjacent coning units which are interconnected to and between the conveying and removal conveyors. Feeders are provided for, at least, the feeding conveyor. The feeders are connected to and movable with the feeding conveyor, wherein the feeders are spaced apart from one another and wherein each of said feeders includes an engaging member for contacting a spool carrying disk and moving the spool carrying disk along the feeding conveyor, and a jutting member movably connected to the feeder which contacts the engaged spool carrier disk for guiding the spool carrier disk in a desired position along the conveyor. The system also has a movable deflector operatively connected to each coning unit and its adjacent passage. The deflector is movable into the path of a spool carrying disk being fed along the feeding conveyor by the feeders for engaging and deflecting the movement of a spool carrying disk from a feeder when a spool carrying disk is required in the adjacent passage. Concurrently the deflector is movable out of the path of the feeder.

We claim: 
     
       1. In a conveyor system for an automatic coning machine having coning units for unwinding thread from spools carried by disks, wherein the system has a conveyor for feeding the spool carrying disks to the coning machine and passages connected to the conveyor and traversing each adjacent coning unit, the improvement comprising: a plurality of feeders connected to and movable with the feeding conveyor, wherein said feeders are spaced apart from one another and wherein each of said feeders includes an engaging member for contacting a spool carrying disk and moving the spool carrying disk along the conveyor, and a jutting member movably connected to said feeder which contacts the engaged spool carrier disk for guiding the spool carrier disk in a desired position along the conveyor, and   a movable deflector operatively connected to each coning unit and its adjacent passage, wherein said deflector is movable into the path of a spool carrying disk being fed along the feeding conveyor by a feeder for engaging and deflecting the movement of the spool carrying disk from said feeder when a spool carrying disk is required by the coning unit in its adjacent passage, whereupon said movable jutting member of said feeder moves in the direction of the passage for discharging the spool carrying disk from said feeder into the adjacent passage and said deflector is movable out of the path of said feeder, all without interfering with the movement of the feeding conveyor and the other spool carrying disks being moved therealong by said feeders.   
     
     
       2. The conveyor system of claim 1, wherein the spool carrying disks include a base and a collar above the base, wherein said engaging member of a feeder is a bracket extending perpendicularly from the feeding conveyor, and wherein said bracket engages the base of a spool carrier disk. 
     
     
       3. The conveyor system of claim 2, wherein said jutting member is hingedly connected to said feeder and wherein said jutting member engages the collar of the spool carrier disk and maintains the spool carrier disk in a vertical position. 
     
     
       4. The conveyor system of claim 3, wherein each feeder has another member opposing, movable with and extending along with said jutting member which forms a space for slidably engaging the collar of the spool carrying disk therebetween to guide the spool carrying disk along the feeding conveyor and to discharge a spool carrying disk deflected by said deflector from the feeding conveyor into the passage as required by the adjacent coning unit. 
     
     
       5. The conveyor system of claim 1, wherein the system also has a removal conveyor for transporting exhausted spool carrying disks from the coning machine, and wherein each traversing passages interconnects the feeding and removal conveyors at each coning unit, and wherein each of said passages includes a standby position adjacent the feeding conveyor for receiving a spool carrying disk, an unwinding position at the coning unit for unwinding the spool carrying the disk and a discharge position adjacent the removal conveyor for receiving the exhausted spool carrying disk from the unwinding position. 
     
     
       6. The conveyor system of claim 5, wherein the disks of the spool carrying disks have bases and collars which are above and which have a breadth that is less than the breadth of said bases, and wherein each of said passages is rectilinear and includes a surface on which the spool carrier disks are movable, and stationary guides which are above said surface and the bases of said spool carrying disks and which are spaced from one another for engaging opposing portions of the collars for guiding the spool carrier disks along said passage. 
     
     
       7. The conveyor system of claim 6, wherein the downstream guide of a passage, relative to the movement of the feeding conveyor, includes an extension which extends into the path of the feeding conveyor for guiding a deflected spool carrying disk into the passage and the upstream guide of the passage, relative to the movement of the feeding conveyor, includes a draft for facilitating the movement of the deflected spool carrying disk into the passage. 
     
     
       8. The conveyor system, of claim 5, further comprising a pair of spaced apart pivotal levers at each of the passages and the adjacent coning units which have rest positions out of the path of each passage and which are movable into the path of the passage for engaging the spool carrying disks in the standby and unwinding positions, respectively, in response to the unwinding operation at the coning unit and for moving the engaged spool carrying disks from standby and unwinding positions, respectively. 
     
     
       9. The conveyor system of claim 8, wherein said levers are hingedly connected at one end to the system adjacent each passage and include articulated free ends, wherein said levers are movable in one direction from a rest position into the path of the passage for engaging and moving the spool carrying disks while said levers remain rigid, and wherein said articulated free ends of said levers are foldable upon themselves upon engagement with the spool carrying disks in the passage as said levers move in the opposite direction and return to their rest positions. 
     
     
       10. The conveyor system of claim 8, further comprising a device adjacent said discharge position of each of the passages for engaging the exhausted spool carrying disk thereat and for moving the exhausted spool carrying disk onto the removal conveyor. 
     
     
       11. The conveyor system of claim 8, wherein the removal conveyor includes a plurality of receivers, wherein said receivers are spaced apart from one another and wherein each of said receivers includes an engaging member for contacting an exhausted spool carrying disk and moving an exhausted spool carrying disk along the removal conveyor, and a jutting member movably connected to said receiver which engages the exhausted spool carrying disk for guiding the exhausted spool carrying disk along the removal conveyor. 
     
     
       12. The conveyor system of claim 8, wherein the removal conveyor is a conveyor belt which engages and removes exhausted spool carrier disks from the discharge position of the passage and for removal of the exhausted spool carrying disks from the coning machine.